2026's two biggest game releases are forcing me to confront my gaming blind spots

Probably the two biggest games of 2026 will be Grand Theft Auto 6 and that Fable reboot, both slated for release towards the end of the year. As someone who has never picked up a game in either of these series heading into 2026, it's been hard for me to get hyped about their new entry. Whereas I could probably jump into Grand Theft Auto 6 or Fable not having played any previous entries, I thought this was my perfect chance to finally experience two classic franchises that have largely been a blind spot for me and my gaming career.

I grew up mainly a Nintendo kid, with the GameCube, Wii, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS being the main consoles I played on. I also had access to the family PC, but it was mainly used for games such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and eventually, Minecraft and Team Fortress 2. Without access to an Xbox or a PlayStation, my childhood never included any of the older ones Fable and GTA games, so I never developed a connection to the two series that others have.

With GTA 6 and Fable releasing in 2026 it's finally time for me to try the two series

Marathon gaming is not something I usually do; I usually need some sort of palate cleanser between games in the same series. But given the legendary status Grand Theft Auto series and the hype behind it GTA 6I'm ready to try a marathon on the series and hopefully won't burn out before I finish them. There's also the matter of other 2026 releases I'm excited about in the meantime that I also have to make time for, and I already know I'll likely be sucked into another Marathon when Bungie's new game is released, which I did with ARC Raiders in recent months.

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I've already started marathoning the Grand Theft Auto Series before GTA 6

Going into 2026, I had already made it my New Year's resolution to play them all Grand Theft Auto game before GTA 6 lets go. Provided GTA 6 isn't delayed again and is still on track for a November release, that should give me plenty of time to finish the games as long as I keep to a pace of around 1 game a month. GTA 5 might be a bit more of an investment considering how much content is available for that game, so it might take me longer than a month in that case.

My plan to beat all GTA games before GTA 6

GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas via Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition – 60 hours
GTA 4 and Episode from Liberty City – 45 hours
GTA 5 – 32 hours
GTA 1 and GTA 2 – 26 hours
Total – 163 hours

I'm starting mine GTA travel with the trilogy of GTA 3, Vice cityand San Andreas which I play through The definitive edition. I know this collection received some criticism for its poor performance at release, but so far it seems to be doing well in 2026 after a series of updates. After that I plan to tackle GTA 4 along with the Episodes from Liberty City DLC pack, and then go with it GTA 5. Finally, there are the two originals GTA game, which is considered the black sheep of the series, so I plan to give both of them a try, but I'm not sure if I'll finish them both since it seems like they're not essential to experiencing the whole series.

There have been rumors of one GTA 4 remake is coming, so I'm waiting to start GTA 4 a while to see if this release will take off.

So far I have already completed GTA 3

I can already check Grand Theft Auto 3 off my list, as I recently beat the game. Overall, I think the game doesn't hold up super well in 2026, with some clunky controls and minimal character development without a voice for the silent protagonist Claude. However, I loved the humor and world building throughout the game, especially via GTA 3s radio stations, so I look forward to seeing how the series has evolved since this post.

Marathoning the Fable Games should be easier than GTA

Compared to a massive series that Grand Theft Automarathon race Fable should be much easier. Balances one GTA game a month, more or less, with Fable series shouldn't be too hard considering there are only 3 heads Fable game, while GTA has 7, excluding spin-offs. Fable also packs much of the series' content into re-releases, such as Fabulous anniversary edition that contains The lost chapters content, making my marathon of the franchise fairly straightforward.

How long it takes to complete all the fable games

The total time to complete each Fable the game is only a fraction of the time it takes to beat GTA series. So thankfully, marathoning the two franchises at once shouldn't be as much of an investment. With the game off Fable be an action RPG compared to GTAs action-adventure crime simulator game, Fable has the potential to be a more streamlined experience if I stick to the main quest, while the gameplay for a given GTA the game can be extended if I struggle to complete certain quests (which I already have).

2026 will be a battle between two very different series for me

My 2026 looks set to be a tale of two franchises as I try to beat all the big ones GTA and Fable game for the first time before the release of the two series' latest entries. There isn't a ton of crossover between Grand Theft Auto and Fable from a gaming perspective, so hopefully I can enjoy the variety as I make my way through these series. The biggest similarity these franchisees share is their distinct senses of humor, which I'm really looking forward to as I begin my 2026 GTA and Fable marathon.